Jewels at your feet

common wood violet

What beauty is all around us, we just need to take the time to see it.  Last night we had a wonderful salad made from chickweed, onion grass, kale, tomatoes, and black walnuts.  It was sprinkled with violets and the yellow petals from dandelions.  I have found that if the food you eat is colorful it is more enjoyable to eat and to be at our healthiest there is a saying that you should try and "eat the rainbow" everyday.

Violets are so versatile.  You can snack on them as you are hiking about, have them in your salad, and even preserve them in different ways.  My sister Debra sent me a recipe years ago for violet jelly.  I currently have ice cubes in the freezer that have one violet in each which I will use this summer when I make peppermint tea. I also pick the flowers, rinse them, spread them on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer.  After a few hours I have frozen flowers that are beautiful and delicate and can be used in drinks or salads later on.  This year I have tried drying them also.  They end up not looking nearly as pretty as the frozen ones but they still give a dash of color that will certainly be welcome on a cold winter day.

Don't forget to get outside and today try and see something up close that you might have overlooked before.  Enjoy!